CCTV Camera Buying Guide for Homes and Businesses in Ghana

Start with what you need to see

Before choosing a camera, walk around the property and list the places that matter: gates, doors, the compound, parking, the shop counter, the cash point and any blind corners. For each place, decide whether you only need to see that someone was there, or whether you need to recognise a face or read a number plate.

Recognising faces and plates needs more detail, so those spots need a higher-resolution camera or a camera mounted closer to the point of entry. General overview areas can use wider lenses.

IP cameras or analogue (HD-TVI / HDCVI)?

Analogue HD cameras send video over coaxial cable to a DVR (or XVR). They are a good fit for smaller budgets and for upgrading older systems that already have coaxial cable in place.

IP cameras send video over network cable to an NVR. They give sharper pictures, smarter features such as person and vehicle detection, and one cable can carry both power and video (PoE). For new installations in businesses, IP is usually the better long-term choice.

Resolution: 2MP, 4MP or 8MP

2MP (1080p) is fine for small rooms and general views. 4MP is a good balance for most homes and shops. 8MP (4K) is worth it for wide areas such as car parks and large compounds, where you need to zoom into recordings.

Higher resolution also means larger recordings, so the recorder and hard drive must be sized to match.

Night vision and full-colour cameras

Standard cameras use infrared at night and record in black and white. Full-colour night cameras (such as Hikvision ColorVu or Dahua Full-color) use a more sensitive sensor and a soft white light so footage stays in colour, which makes clothing and vehicle colours easier to identify.

Check the night-vision range on the specification sheet against the actual distance you need to cover.

Built for Ghana's weather and power

Outdoor cameras should be weather-rated (IP66 or IP67) to handle heavy rain, heat and dust. Mount them under eaves where possible and use junction boxes to protect cable joints.

Power cuts are the most common reason CCTV stops recording. Put the recorder, PoE switch and router on a UPS or inverter backup so the system keeps recording during an outage, and add surge protection where lightning is common.

Recorder, storage and remote viewing

Choose a recorder with more channels than you need today, for example an 8-channel recorder for 5 or 6 cameras, so you can add cameras later.

Storage depends on the number of cameras, resolution, compression (H.265 uses much less space than H.264) and how many days of footage you want to keep. Use surveillance-grade hard drives, which are made to record all day.

With an internet connection you can watch live and recorded video on your phone using the manufacturer's app, such as Hik-Connect for Hikvision or DMSS for Dahua.

• List the areas to cover and the detail needed at each one
• Choose IP for new business systems; analogue suits smaller budgets and upgrades
• Use weather-rated outdoor cameras and protect cable joints
• Back up the recorder and network equipment against power cuts
• Size the hard drive for the number of days you want to keep